LAHORE - Country remained in the grip of severe cold wave on Monday with experts predicting the prevailing conditions to persist during the next couple of days.
In plains of Punjab, foggy conditions prevailed in the morning, hampering vehicular movement on inter and intra city roads. Kalam and Astore remained coldest places in the country where mercury dropped 13 degree Celsius below freezing point. Mercury dropped to -10 C in Kalat, -07 C in Hunza, -06 C in Gupis, -05 C in Drosh, Malamjabba, Dir and Skardu, -04 C in Gilgit. Maximum and minimum temperature in Lahore was recorded 20 C and 05 C respectively. Relative humidity in the evening was recorded 53 per cent.
Severe cold forced the people to avoid unnecessarily coming out, decreasing traffic on otherwise busy roads in major cities including Lahore. Large scale load shedding and low gas pressure added to the woes of cold stricken people. Gas pressure was so low that women faced huge difficulties in cooking meals for their families.